It replaced "God Save the Queen" as the official national anthem by the Whitlam government in 1974, following an indicative opinion survey.

"Advance Australia Fair" was published in early December 1878 by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick (1833–1916) under the pen-name "Amicus" (which means 'friend' in Latin).

Fuller dated 1 August 1913, McCormick described the circumstances that inspired him to write "Advance Australia Fair" to be sung by a large choir with band accompaniment.

Towards the end of World War II it was one of three songs played in certain picture theatres, along with "God Save the King" and the US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".

We need an anthem that uniquely identifies our country abroad and recalls vividly to ourselves the distinctive qualities of the Australian life and the character and traditions of our nation. ...

[14] Many artists commentated on the difficulty of creating a national anthem in the 1970s, with Richard Meale stating that "we had missed the boat" and writer Bob Ellis stating that "You've got to leave out all the gum trees and wallabies, and you can't talk about defending the country against yellow hordes, so there's not much to talk about except an independent stance and belated pride in ourselves.

[1] "Advance Australia Fair" was chosen by 51.4% of respondents and, on 9 April 1974, Whitlam announced in parliament that it was the national anthem, to be used on all occasions except those of a specifically regal nature.

[16][1] The choice came under attack almost immediately, with an editorial noting that "For Australians, the only consolation is that there will be very few occasions when the words are sung,"[17] and the Anglican Dean of Sydney commenting "This second-rate secular song is completely inappropriate for use in churches.

[29] The lyrics were updated on 1 January 2021[30] in an attempt to recognise the legacy of Indigenous Australians, with the word "one" in the second line replacing the previous "young".

Australians all let us rejoice, For we are one and free; We've golden soil and wealth for toil, Our home is girt by sea; Our land abounds in Nature's gifts Of beauty rich and rare; In history's page, let every stage Advance Australia fair!

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross, We'll toil with hearts and hands; To make this Commonwealth of ours Renowned of all the lands; For those who've come across the seas We've boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine To advance Australia fair.

Since the original lyrics were written in 1878, there have been several changes, in some cases with the intent of altering the anthem's political focus especially in regard to gender neutrality and Indigenous Australians.

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd, To trace wide oceans o'er, True British courage bore him on, Til he landed on our shore.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross, We'll toil with hearts and hands; To make our youthful Commonwealth, Renowned of all the lands; For loyal sons beyond the seas We've boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine To advance Australia fair.

Australians all let us rejoice, For we are young and free; We've golden soil and wealth for toil; Our home is girt by sea; Our land abounds in nature's gifts Of beauty rich and rare; In history's page, let every stage Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross We'll toil with hearts and hands; To make this Commonwealth of ours Renowned of all the lands; For those who've come across the seas We've boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine To Advance Australia Fair.

These lyrics were updated on 1 January 2021 to the current version, in which "young" in the second line is replaced with "one" to reflect the pre-colonial presence of Indigenous Australians, who have lived in Australia much longer than Europeans.

[35][a] Fraser responded to criticism of "Waltzing Matilda" compared with "Advance Australia Fair", and countered, "in the second verse... we find these words, 'Britannia rules the waves'.

[41] The song has been criticised for failing to represent or acknowledge Australia's Indigenous peoples and aspects of the country's colonial past, leading to modification.

The lyrics have been accused of celebrating British colonisation and perpetuating the concept of terra nullius; the now-changed second line of the anthem ("for we are young and free") was criticised in particular for ignoring the long history of Indigenous Australians.

[44] In September 2018 a 9-year-old Brisbane girl was disciplined by her school after refusing to stand for the national anthem;[45] her actions were applauded by some public commenters, and criticised by others.

[52] In 2017 the Recognition in Anthem Project[53] was established and began work on a new version, with lyrics written by poet and former Victorian Supreme Court judge Peter Vickery following consultation with Indigenous communities and others.

[64] A first version was first performed in July 2010, at a Rugby League State of Origin match in Sydney, though there was some opposition:[further explanation needed][65] In December 2020, another setting, in Dharug, followed by the anthem in English, was sung before a Rugby Union international between Australia and Argentina:[66][67] In 2011, about fifty different Christian schools from different denominations came under criticism for singing an unofficial version of the song written by the Sri Lankan immigrant Ruth Ponniah in 1988.

Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth Peter Garrett and chief executive of the National Australia Day Council Warren Pearson admonished the schools for modifying the lyrics of the anthem, and the Australian Parents Council and the Federation of Parents and Citizens' Association of NSW called for a ban on the modified song.